Wayne's Dhamma Blog 水月佛法博客

This Blog discusses the truth of the Buddha's teachings to be found in everyday life here in Singapore and anywhere else. The practice of the Dhamma is not something far away, but begins right here. To learn more abt Buddhism, visit my online temple at http://www.lianhuayuan.net/ To see my collection of Thai and Chinese Buddhist amulets and images go to http://buddhoamuletshop.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 16, 2014

Recently there was a 19yr old boy who passed away right after he thanked his parents and bid them goodbye. He had been autistic and suffered from muscular atrophy since very young, and thus required full time care from his mother for the entire span of his short life. What is amazing is that this boy himself knew his time was up; which means he had finished claiming his debt from his parents, and it was time to leave them. This is another example of those karmic debtors who come to be reborn as our children. Typically they will suffer from all sorts of long term medical conditions which require a lot of money, time, effort and tears from their parents to take care of. But these parents will have no choice but to take up the responsibility as a result of their own karma. These debtors are sometimes the animals, slaves, servants that worked for us in our past lives, and died without being well taken care of. As such they bear a strong grudge in their minds, and will one day find us again in future lives to become our children. And at that time we will have to pay them back all that we owed them both financially and emotionally.

Is there no way to free ourselves from such a vicious karmic cycle? The Ksitigarbha Sutra offers a solution:

"If inhabitants of Jambudvipa in future times shall, at the advent of newly-born children, cause the parents to chant
the Ksitigarbha Sutra and his name ten thousand times, then the newly-born children, whether male or female, will achieve expiation of the sins of their previous lives and will live long and happy lives. If all those about to be born
into this life have done meritorious deeds in their previous existences, their lives here will be even longer and happier."
This means that if the parents can chant the Sutra as well as the Bodhisattva's name "Namo Dizang Wang Pusa" 10,000 times for their unborn children, this great merit will appease those that come as debtors, dissolving their bad karma. They will be able to grow up as normal and healthy children. If they come as creditors, their good karma will be multiplied and both parents and children will grow in prosperity and happiness. Or if one prefers the Theravada method as taught by LP Jaran, one can also chant the "Bahum Mahaka" katha as well as "Itipiso" katha your age plus one times and transfer merit to one's children regularly. The effect will also be similar.

This is a teaching of excellent benefits and may all new parents learn it well for the sake of their children, sadhu.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

"Movement is the Mind moving,Movement is its function.Outside of Movement there is no Mind,Outside of Mind there is no Movement.Movement is not the Mind,Mind is not the Movement.Movement is fundamentally without Mind,Mind is fundamentally without Movement.Movement is not apart from the Mind,Mind is not apart from the Movement.Without Movement the Mind is detached,Without Mind the Movement is detached.Movement is the Mind's function,Function is the Mind's movement.Neither Moving nor Functioning,That which functions is fundamentally empty.Emptiness is fundamentally unmoving,Moving and functioning is same as the Mind.The Mind is empty and unmoving,The Mind is fundamentally without movement."

Thus the Scriptures say,

"Moving all day yet the True Mind does not move,Coming and going all day yet the True Mind neither comes nor goes,Seeing all day yet the True Mind never sees."

Tuesday, June 03, 2014

As we know during the cultural revolution members of the Red Guards tried to destroy the 6th patriarch's body. One of them used a saw to saw his spine from behind, and to everyone's shock fresh blood flowed out from the body! The guards were petrified and did not dare to continue sawing. Later the body was paraded in the streets to denounce superstition, but faithful devotees stole the body at night and had it hidden away in a secret location.

After the revolution, the respected Mr Zhao Puchu learned of the matter and wrote a letter to the then party chief of Guangdong province, Xi Zhongxun, imploring him to get some men to protect the patriarch's body and relocate it to a suitable place. Xi Zhongxun is the father of the current China President, Xi Jinping. As we can see the law of karma never fails to bear fruits.

As the body had been hidden by Ven Master Foyuan, he personally instructed Ven Shengyi of Hong Kong to go to Nanhua monastery to find the location and secretly take photos. Ven Foyuan himself was only vindicated in 1979. He was then invited to the Chinese Buddhism College in Beijing to give a lecture, and during that time he informed Ven Mingzhen, Juzan as well as Mr Zhao Puchu of what happened to the body. Mr Zhao realized how important this matter was and acted upon it immediately by writing a letter to Xi Zhongxun seeking his help.

Xi Zhongxun quickly sent specialized men to Nanhua monastery to do the job. However at that time the party policy towards religion was still unclear, and the monastery was unwilling to restore the body to its rightful place for worship. But Xi sent a clear message to the monastery saying the body WILL BE restored whether they were agreeable to it or not. So they had no choice but to comply. Mr Zhao also sent Ven Foyuan down from Beijing to assist with the restoration. Xi gave strict orders for the body to be well protected at all times.

Ven Foyuan recalled with great emotion that when they dugged out the patriarch's body, the ribs had became moldy due to being buried in damp soil for 10 over years. Due to the humid climate of Southern China, the spine had also become moist and crooked. The body of Master Dantian was in even worse condition. He had to carry both bodies back to his hut and baked them dry over a charcoal fire. After cleaning them Ven Foyuan used pieces of sandalwood to repair the spine and ribs before putting them back into their bodies. As the patriarch's internal organs have decayed (which were intact before being buried), they were also baked and mixed with sandalwood powder, molded back into the original shape and put back into the body. Ven Foyuan broke into tears after the repair works, vowing to protect the patriarch's body in all his future rebirths. He said that if he knew he would survive the ordeal of the revolution, he would never have buried the bodies in the mountain behind and caused them such damage. The Ven felt much regret and swore to carefully protect the bodies from then on, even at the cost of his life.

According to Ven Foyuan, even after 1200 years the patriarch's body was still golden in color, and felt firm and heavy. On the other hand Master Dantian's body appeared much darker and weighed much less. It was amazing that undecaying bodies had such different standards as gold and bronze.

Ven Foyuan concluded that, "If it was not for the cultural revolution, the 6th patriarch's body would never have been damaged so badly. As one of the patriarch's Dharma descendants I have cried countless times over it through the years. But during that era I could not showed my tears as there were many eyes watching me. Some men only wanted to show off and cared not about who or what they were desecrating. Even Master Hanshan's body was slashed opened by such a worm, but luckily it was only punctured with a cup sized hole in the torso, unlike the other 2 bodies which had their organs dugged out."

Truly that was a painful episode in Chinese Buddhist history which hopefully will never be repeated again.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

LP Sanit of Wat Lam Bua Loi, Nakhon Nayok province, was the top guru monk there most famous for his wealth crocodile and turtle wicha,
which he learned from LP Seng. Legend has it he was able to make crocodiles made
from wood or stone come alive and start swimming. He passed away in 2542 at the
age of 74. Above we see the main shrine.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

It is this, my son: Yourself depending on the Dhamma, honouring it, revering it, cherishing it, doing homage to it and venerating it, having the Dhamma as your badge and banner, acknowledging the Dhamma as your master, you should establish guard, ward and protect according to Dhamma for your own household, your troops, your nobles and vassals, for Brahmins and householders, town and country folk, ascetics and Brahmins, for beasts and birds.

Let no crime prevail in your kingdom, and those who are in need, give property. And whatever ascetics and Brahmins in your kingdom have renounced the life of sensual infatuation and are devoted to forbearance and gentleness, each one calming himself and each one striving for the end of craving, if from time to time they should come to you and consult you as to what is wholesome and what is unwholesome, what is blameworthy and what is blameless, what is to be followed and what is not to be followed, and what action will in the long-run lead to harm and what to welfare and happiness, you should listen, and tell them to avoid evil and do what is good.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Recently it was reported that the White Dragon King (1937-2013), spiritual godfather to many HK and Taiwan celebrities who passed away a week ago, was himself a disciple of LP Tim Wat Lahanrai. Master Chow aka White Dragon King always venerated LP Tim as his guru monk, and kept many of his amulets. His wife had selected one of his favourites to be buried with him after the funeral. He was also building a new Buddhist temple not far from the White Dragon temple, with a large statue of LP Tim in the Vihara. However Master Chow died before the construction could be completed.

Unknown to many is that Master Chow was actually an ordinary man with no special abilities. His spiritual power come only after the White Dragon (Naga deity) chose him to be a medium. But as with all mediumship, it comes with a big price. When trancing a deity on a regular basis, it takes a huge toll on the body and in the long term one's health is affected and lifespan shortened. One only needs to take a look at the famous mediums of Jatukam like AJ Kopong and Luang Nui, who died not long after the Jatukam craze was over. When they trance Jatukam they performed seemingly superhuman feats like swallowing an entire bottle of XO (in AJ Kopong's case), but after the deity left their bodies, it is inevitable that some damage is done to their internal organs. Longer still I can remember AJ Tim of Wat Changhai, who was the first medium of LP Tuad. He too passed away at 57 yrs old, just as LP Tuad amulets were becoming famous throughout Thailand and overseas. As such famous mediums all have their share of health problems and die before their natural lifespan are exhausted. They may be able to help others through the deity's powers, but ultimately they cannot help themselves. In life they cannot escape aging, sickness and death, and in death they cannot escape becoming and rebirth.

The Dhammapada says:

"Better than sole sovereignty over the earth, better than going to heaven, better even than lordship over all the worlds, is the supramundane Fruit of Stream Entry."

It would better to be an instrument of the Dhamma, seeking an end to suffering, then to be an instrument of any god or deity, filled with power to move mountains, yet still chained to the wheel of Samsara.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Lord Buddha said - "Monks, when universal love leading to liberation of mind is ardently practiced, developed, unrelentingly resorted to, used as one's vehicle, made the foundation of one's life, fully established, well consolidated and perfected, then these eleven blessings may be expected. What eleven?

one sleeps happily; one wakes happily; one does not suffer bad dreams;one is dear to human beings; one is dear to non-human beings; the gods protect one; no fire or poison or weapon harms one; one's mind gets quickly concentrated; the expression of one's face is serene; one dies unperturbed; and even if one fails to attain higher states, one will at least reach the state of the Brahma world.

Monks, when universal love leading to liberation of mind is ardently practiced, developed, unrelentingly resorted to, used as one's vehicle, made the foundation of one's life, fully established, well consolidated and perfected, then these eleven blessings may be expected."

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

LP Nenkam, the young abbot of Wat Pa Kantitham in Si Saket province has recently come under investigation by the Thai authorities for his massive wealth, luxurious possessions and allegedly immoral behaviour which violates the Vinaya precepts. He was propelled into national and worldwide attention after circulation of video showing him riding a private jet plane, toting an iPhone and Louis Vuitton bag. Not only him, but some relatives of LP Nenkam also became abnormally rich, with properties in their possession worth over 20 million baht along with numerous sports cars. It was also alleged that he was not only married, but had sexual relationships with 7 other women, one of them a minor. This is a "monk" living the high life of a tycoon, fat from the donations of the faithful. Not only had he committed Parajika offences which immediately nullifies his monkhood, he had greatly shamed the holiness of the saffron robe.

"It would be better to swallow a red-hot iron ball, blazing like fire, than as an immoral and uncontrolled monk to eat the alms of the people."

"Just as kusa grass wrongly handled cuts the hand, even so, a recluse's life wrongly lived drags one to hell." - Dhammapada

LP Nenkam may still enjoy those worldly pleasures heedlessly at the moment, but if he even has any slight idea of the karma that awaits him, I think he would no longer feel any desire for them. Indeed, would he not regret eating caviar with the money of devotees, when burning iron balls are forced down his throat everyday when he reappears in hell? And would he still think of those women he had sex with when he is forced to embrace the burning pillars? Impossible to imagine are the torments of hell, yet this man in saffron robes knows not to avoid them. He pursues darkness and great suffering, instead of seeking the path of liberation. I truly pity such a man, and others like him. Will they ever awake from their deep ignorance?

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Recently there is an article on Facebook talking about HK celebrity Cecilia Chung paying 300,000 HKD or around 1 million baht for a piece of Somdej Kaiser Krut Wat P﻿ra Kaew (seen above), which is an obvious fake amulet. Almost anyone with some basic knowledge about old Thai amulets know that such a batch of Somdej Kaiser does not exist, but unfortunately Ceclilia does not. Fake Somdej amulets such as this can be easily found at the fake amulet market in Tha Pachan, Bangkok for 100 baht or less. It is a shame because for that kind of money Cecilia could get a real antique piece of Somdej Wat Rakang or Bangkhunprom, with change to spare for performing other forms of Sangkatan (donations to the Sangha).

But the sad fact is rich people like Cecilia are scammed by the unscrupulous all the time. They pay a hefty price for their misplaced faith in the commercial aspect of Thai Buddhism. It is another example of the danger of collecting amulets without any basic knowledge about Buddhism and Thai amulets. In the past when LP Sod created his first batch of Wat Paknam amulets, he gave only 1 single piece to each devotee who came to make a donation, no matter whether they were rich or poor. It did not matter whether they gave a lot or a little money; they still received 1 piece as a token of appreciation. There was great meaning in why LP Sod gave out amulets in this way. It is in great contrast to what is happening today, where even the rich donate a lot just to get a cheap piece of fake amulet. When rich donors like Cecilia one day realizes that she paid so much for a fake, she will inevitably lost faith in the Triple Gems. Those who sold her such fakes have committed a great sin, destroying people's faith in Buddhism. The profits of sin brings very short term enjoyment to the sinner, but long term suffering in the lower realms. As the Dhammapada says:

Monday, April 22, 2013

Recently there was an article in Malaysia's New Life Post paper regarding the practice of many famous Hong Kong celebrities wearing Thai amulets to help them in their show biz career. For example, Cecilia Chung is said to wear a Somdej Wat Rakang (more likely to be Somdej Kaiser) and known to keep many Kumantongs at home. She is probably heavily influenced by ex-husband Nicholas Tse and mother in law Deborah, who are both Thai Buddhists and Phra Prom Erawan devotees. It also mentioned Jackie Chan, who was said to be wearing Somdej Than Saem 2517 from LP Pae when he survived falling from a great height during a movie shooting accident in 1986. Later this Somdej was named "Pim Jackie Chan" after him and became extremely popular in HK and Taiwan. Finally it talked about martial arts and action star Donny Yan, who always wear his Khun Paen while shooting dangerous action sequences.

These HK celebrities and their belief in Thai amulets have helped to spread Thai Buddhist culture not only in HK, but Taiwan and today China, covering a large part of East Asia.﻿ Especially in China, where waves of Thai amulet shops have mushroomed in many major cities, against an officially atheistic communist culture. We can say the zeal of persecuting organised religion since the days of the Cultural Revolution has not only been totally eaten away by commercialism, but ironically a commercial part of religion at that. In a vast China market, the demand for Thai amulets very often exceeds the supply that those dealers could provide. Which is why we can now see many China citizens prowling Tha Pachan and Pantip Ngam Wong Wan in Bangkok, buying amulets and casings in large numbers. But although the varieties of Thai amulets number into thousands, these guys are only interested in a few types, most notably: Butterfly, 9-tail Fox, KMTs, LP Pae and maybe LP Koon. So much so that the prices for these amulets have shot up many times. A good example mentioned in the article is China rich girl Guo Meimei, who gained some celebrity status flaunting her wealth on the Internet. Having gained some good fortune in the casino after chowing 2 KMTs, she eventually opened a shop in Beijing selling mostly KMTs and other popular amulets. Above we can see her chowing many KMT buchas from AJ Nikom (aka AJ Kom) in Suphanburi. She said that the cheapest KMT in her shop cost 3800 RMB, or more than 18000 Thai baht. This is at least 9x the original price at AJ Kom's Samnak, which is a huge profit for our already rich Ms Guo. The expensive ones cost more than 20000 RMB. She claims that the business at her shop is excellent and so we can only imagine the rich getting richer.

Although it is not a bad thing for China people to soak up Thai amulet culture, I'm afraid they do not know why they work or what is their purpose. And by this I mean the real amulets and not those fake or commercial ones. Like many from other countries who are captivated by them, they only see the superficial aspect of amulets and not its spirit - which is to make merit in the Triple Gems, to keep the 5 precepts, to refrain from all evil and to cultivate all that is good. Without the basic tenets of Buddhism in place, amulets are only empty gadgets, no different from toys. If one day their amulets fail to bring them good luck or protect them from danger, they will only have themselves to blame for being ignorant. I hope that they can slowly be inspired by Thai amulets to learn more about Buddhism and improve their lives spiritually. Only then would the purpose of those guru monks who created them be fulfilled, sadhu.

Monday, April 15, 2013

"There also came from different lands in other worlds and from the Saha world deities such as those of the seas, of the rivers, of the forests, of the mountains, of the earth, of the streams and lakes, of the crops, of the day, of the night, of space, of the sky, of food and of vegetation; all assembled there." - Ksitigarbha Sutra

Last week there was a Wanbao article regarding how the missing corpse of one of the local victims in a fishing trip mishap in Pulau Layak, Malaysia was found. Apparently the body of Mr Chen Wan Seng was found soon after one of the search boat owners threw a water melon offering with Mr Chen's name and particulars written on it into the sea. The family of the victim was surprised as prior to that, the search and rescue boats had searched the sea in that area for 2 days without finding his body.

How is it that a melon can help to find corpses lost at sea? I think not many people know that this is actually an ancient Chinese ritual with its roots in Taoism and Buddhism. Because the pronunciation of water melon in dialect sounds like "water ghost", thus it is offered as a replacement to the Naga King (which some call the god of the sea) in exchange for the bodies of those who drown at sea. Why is it that such an offering need to be done? Simply due to fact that all creatures dead or alive in the sea comes under the jurisdiction of the Naga Kings. Which is why the boat owner prayed to the "god of the sea" before setting off and made the water melon offering to appease him once they reach those waters. Sure enough, the corpse mysteriously appears floating on the surface less than half an hour after the offering was done. This incident tells us that those deities and Devadas that have dominion over the forces of nature do exist, even though they are invisible to ordinary humans. Whether it is the water, wind, fire, lightning, thunder, earth, mountains, big trees etc, there are always higher beings who control them or live in them. As they are frequently mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures, we should always respect these nature deities who are in many cases, Dharma protectors. Very often they will help humans who are righteous in the Dharma and humble towards them.

AJ Tee Lek of Samnak Khao Sunamo, Petchaboon province is known in the whole of Thailand as the "Bulletproof monk of Petchaboon". He became somewhat of a legend due to the TV programs that show his takruts and amulets being tested regularly against guns. He lives on a remote hill without a temple, yet devotees from Thailand and overseas, both near and as far as thousands of miles away come to pay respect to him. Above we see the main Sala.

The kutis on the hilltop where AJ and his followers live.
Chatting with AJ abt his new takruts coming out next month.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

LP Chalerm of Wat Boon Nah in Samut Songkram province is a guru monk well respec﻿ted for his strong wicha knowledge. Having consecrated some new amulets to raise funds for the temple, I went there to take a look. Above is the kuti where LP resides.